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Ford Territory
| width = | height = | weight = - | wheelbase = }} The Ford Territory is a crossover SUV built by Ford Australia and based on the EA169 platform of the Ford BA Falcon. It was released in April 2004. Its code name inside Ford was E265. It won the 2004 ''Wheels'' Car of the Year award, the reviewers praising car-like handling and practicality as reasons for its win. Ford had reportedly spent A$500 million on developing the range over four years. Ford introduced the Territory alongside the existing Falcon wagon, which was built on the same production line. Ford Australia senior executives expected the Falcon wagon to be discontinued soon after the introduction of the Territory, surmising that Falcon wagon sales would substantially decline as fleet buyers migrated to the Territory. However, the two models co-existed because the Falcon wagon retained much of its fleet sales base and the Territory appealed mainly to private buyers. South African sales for the Territory began in 2005. Exports to Thailand began in 2006, with the Thai model being offered only in AWD Ghia trim. Powertrains The Territory is sold with two engine choices, the 4.0L inline-six engine as the standard engine, and a turbo charged six-cylinder version in the Turbo model. The base engine is available in RWD and AWD. The RWD model has a four-speed automatic gearbox, and the AWD has the ZF six-speed auto. The turbo model only comes in AWD. In 2010 Ford will update the current 4.0L inline-six to meet strict Euro 4 emission standards. In 2011 Ford will introduce a new model with the 2.7L diesel V6 that is shared with Land Rover, Peugeot and Citroen. It will use the ZF six-speed auto exclusively across the range. The engine will emit up to 25 percent less CO2 compared to the current 4.0L inline-six. SX (2004–2005) )]] The original model was the SX and was produced between 2004 and 2005. The engine was the 4.0-litre DOHC straight-six Barra engine from the Falcon, developing . Appearance-wise, the Territory resembles the Ford Taurus X sold in North America. Both cars have similar styling cues—it was this that sold the Territory to Ford executives at the head office in Dearborn, Michigan. Simon Butterworth, who was behind the Ford Falcon facelift of 2003, styled the Territory but had worked with his American counterpart, J Mays, in working in the global Ford "DNA". Marcus Hotblack worked on the Territory's interior, with a Swiss army knife as a metaphor. Consequently, the car has touches such as flexible cupholders and a handbag holder to the side of the seat for female drivers, recognising that many SUV buyers are women. Australian and New Zealand SX series models are slightly different visually: all models sold in New Zealand have body-colour bumpers and alloy wheels, including the base model. Front light detail resembles that of jewellery in a black box. In New Zealand, the only rear wheel drive model is the base version and all other models have all wheel drive; while in Australia, all models are available with either rear-wheel drive or all-wheel drive. The Ford Territory (SX) was the first Australian-built vehicle to be fitted with an electronic stability control system. Specification levels Both rear- and all-wheel drive configurations were offered in three trim levels. All-wheel drive models have an optional Hill Descent Control system, using the anti-lock braking system to control the car's motion downhill, inherited from Land Rover. Options of five seats (in two rows) or seven seats (in three rows) are available. The rows of seats are arranged in a "theatre style", with the back row highest. They fold down smoothly into the floor. A DVD player is available as an option on all models. * TX: * TS: added side curtain airbags (optional on TX), which were a first for an Australian made car. * Ghia: SY (2005–2009) An updated SY model arrived in October 2005, bringing with it a ZF six-speed automatic transmission on all AWD models and an increase in power to . The model also comes with a Rear Parking Camera (optional on the TS and standard on the Ghia), another first for an Australian made vehicle. Ford Australia introduced a turbo variant of the base engine, in mid 2006. The addition of the turbo boosted the engine performance to and of torque An enhanced version of the Ford Territory was introduced by Ford Performance Vehicles (FPV) in January 2008 as the "FPV F6X". It was fitted with the same turbocharged engine as the FPV F6 and accelerates from in 5.9 seconds. The F6X was only available with all-wheel drive and the six-speed ZF automatic as fitted to the Ford FG Falcon. The lack of sufficient differentiation from other Territory Turbo models and the significantly higher price meant it met with only limited success and it was discontinued in June 2009 when the SY II was introduced. SY II (2009–2011) The SY II facelift was revealed at the 2009 Melbourne International Motor Show. It consists of moderate front-end changes as well as other minor exterior changes. The interior gets upholstery changes across the range, with the old colour schemes being replaced with more modern ones. Specification levels * TX: receives body-coloured bumpers and alloy wheels standard over the SY. * TS: also gains body-coloured bumpers, newly designed alloy wheels as well as third-row seats standard. * Ghia: models get mirror mounted side indicators, new alloy wheels, privacy glass for the rear windows and third-row seats standard. The SY II received a revised front suspension to address a well documented weakness in the front lower ball-joints. The previous design has the ball joints under constant tension which has resulted in some complete failures of the joint (causing the wheel to detach from the suspension and steering) and premature wear requiring lower control arm replacements after as little as . The new system has the lower ball-joints under compression, eliminating the premature wear issue. Safety Through the addition of a front passenger seatbelt warning chime due to be implemented on cars produced from 11 January 2010, the entire Territory range will be rated the full five-star Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP) crash test score. Models produced prior to this date were previously rated at four stars. SZ (2011–present) Known as the SZ series, Ford Australia released official photos of the 2011 facelift model on February 8, 2011. The car now features a large lower air intake and thin upper grille. Titanium models feature LED marker lights, replacing the fog lights on the mid spec TS. The rear of the car now features horizontal style tail lights, replacing the vertical lights on previous models. The update will also see the introduction of diesel power. The interior now features a large eight-inch touch screen. The diesel Territory will use a Land Rover-sourced 2.7-litre V6 combined with the six-speed 6R80 automatic transmission produced by Ford in the US. Ford's 4.0-litre petrol inline six gains the modifications received by the FG Falcon. Delivering of power, the six will only be available on rear-wheel drive models, with all-wheel drive reserved for the diesel. Among the new safety features are a driver's knee airbag and updated stability control system, now version 9.0 by Bosch incorporating an anti-roll-over function. Specification levelsCar Advice, 2011 Territory pricing revealed. * TX: 17-inch alloy wheels, iPod/USB integration, Bluetooth phone connectivity and cruise control. * TS: 18-inch alloy wheels and adds an eight-inch colour touch screen, front fog lights, dual-zone climate control, seven-seat capacity, premium audio system and reversing camera. * Titanium: LED running lights, privacy glass, auto-dimming rear-view mirror, satellite navigation with Traffic Message Channel, 10.2-inch rear DVD entertainment system and leather seat trim. Territory as an emergency vehicle Single Responder in Melbourne.]]The Territory is used in varying roles by several emergency services in Australia. Victoria Police use the Territory as a patrol car as well as specialist departments such as the Major Collision Investigation Unit. The Territory Turbo has been used by the Traffic Management Unit for traffic patrols. Ambulance Victoria uses the Territory for Mobile Intensive Care Ambulance Single Responder units, and for similar roles in other ambulance services. It is also used by some fire brigades as a crew/equipment transport vehicle. The Australian Federal Police and NSW Police both use the Territory Turbo as a VIP protection and escort vehicle. References External links * Official website * [http://www.autoweb.com.au/cms/A_101280/newsarticle.html Ford press release published at Autoweb] * FPV website Territory Category:Cars of Australia Category:All wheel drive vehicles Category:Crossover SUVs Category:Rear wheel drive vehicles Category:Trucks built in Australia